Solar cell module, wiring sheet, and method of manufacturing wiring sheet

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11195965-B2
Application number	US-201816168739-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 23, 2018
Priority date	Oct 26, 2017
Publication date	Dec 7, 2021
Grant date	Dec 7, 2021

Abstract

Wires (22) electrically connecting solar cells (10) include first wires (22a) and second wires (22b). The first wires (22a) are connected to the first-conductivity-type electrodes (12) of a first one of the solar cells (10) and the second-conductivity-type electrodes (13) of a second one of the solar cells 10 that is adjacent to the first one of the solar cells (10). The second wires (22b) are connected to the second-conductivity-type electrodes (13) of the first one of the solar cells (10) and the first-conductivity-type electrodes (12) of the second one of the solar cells (10). The second wires (22b) are electrically separated by holes (21a) extending through both the second wires (22b) and an insulating base member (21).

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A solar cell module comprising:
solar cells each including first-conductivity-type electrodes and second-conductivity-type electrodes on one of faces of a semiconductor substrate; and
a wiring sheet including wires on an insulating base member,
wherein:
the solar cells comprise a first solar cell and a second solar cell that are disposed in a prescribed cell array direction and that are electrically connected by the wires;
the wires include first wires and second wires parallelly disposed side by side in a direction intersecting the cell array direction;
each of the first and second wires consists of an elongated rectangular shape and extends in the cell array direction so as to straddle the first and second solar cells;
the first wires are connected to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of the first solar cell and to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the second, adjacent solar cell;
the second wires are connected to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the first solar cell and to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of the second solar cell;
through holes are provided in the insulating base member so as to penetrate between a front face and a back face of the insulating base member and also to penetrate the second wires on the insulating base member, and
connecting parts of the second wires to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the first solar cell are electrically separated from respective adjacent connecting parts of the second wires to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of the second solar cell by respective through holes extending through both the second wires and the insulating base member.

2. The solar cell module according to claim 1 , wherein:
the solar cells further comprise a third solar cell opposite the first solar cell from the second solar cell and adjacent to the first solar cell;
the second wires are connected to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the first solar cell and to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of the third solar cell;
the first wires are connected to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of the first solar cell and to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the third solar cell; and
connecting parts of the first wires to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of the first solar cell are electrically separated from respective adjacent connecting parts of the first wires to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the third solar cell by the respective through holes extending through both the first wires and the insulating base member.

3. The solar cell module according to claim 1 , further comprising:
an encapsulant sandwiching the solar cells and the wiring sheet;
a transparent substrate on a solar-cell-side of the encapsulant; and
a back-face-protection member on a wiring-sheet-side of the encapsulant,
wherein the encapsulant is partially existent in the through holes.

4. A wiring sheet comprising:
an insulating base member;
wires provided on the insulating base member; and
a plurality of cell-disposing areas on each of which a corresponding one of a plurality of solar cells is disposed, the plurality of solar cells each including first-conductivity-type electrodes and second-conductivity-type electrodes,
wherein:
the cell-disposing areas are arranged side by side on the insulating base member in a prescribed cell array direction;
the wires include first wires and second wires parallelly disposed side by side in an orthogonal direction intersecting the cell array direction;
each of the first and second wires consists of an elongated rectangular shape and extends in the cell array direction so as to straddle adjacent areas of the cell-disposing areas in the cell array direction;
the first wires are located so as to connect to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of one solar cell and to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the other solar cell out of an adjacent pair of the solar cells;
the second wires are located so as to connect to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the one solar cell and to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of the other solar cell;
through holes are provided in the insulating base member so as to penetrate between a front face and a back face of the insulating base member and also to penetrate the second wires on the insulating base member, and
connecting parts of the second wires to the second-conductivity-type electrodes of the one solar cell are separated from respective adjacent connecting parts of the second wires to the first-conductivity-type electrodes of the other solar cell by respective through holes extending through both the second wires and the insulating base member.

5. The wiring sheet according to claim 4 , wherein the wires are fixedly attached onto the insulating base member such that the wires each have parts of side faces thereof fixedly attached by an adhesive.

6. The wiring sheet according to claim 4 , wherein the holes each have a width in the orthogonal direction larger than a width of the second wires in the orthogonal direction.

7. The wiring sheet according to claim 4 , wherein the through holes each have, in a plan view thereof, a profile made of a continuous line with no corners.

8. The wiring sheet according to claim 4 , wherein the through holes are located in areas where none of the solar cells are to be disposed.

9. The wiring sheet according to claim 4 , wherein the through holes are partially located in an area where either one or both of the two adjacent solar cells is/are to be disposed.

10. The solar cell module according to claim 1 , wherein
a width of the respective through holes in a perpendicular direction intersecting the cell array direction is longer than a width of the second wires in the perpendicular direction.

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Dotta Yoshihisa
• Horinaka Hajime
• Katohno Kohichi
• ZOU Liumin
• Inoue Tetsuyoshi

Classifications

• H10F77/955

  for photovoltaic devices · CPC title

• H10F77/219

  Arrangements for electrodes of back-contact photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F77/211

  for photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F19/80 Primary

  Encapsulations or containers for integrated devices, or assemblies of multiple devices, having photovoltaic cells · CPC title

• H10F19/908 Primary

  for back-contact photovoltaic cells · CPC title